Do Disarmed Victims encourage Violent Criminals?

Is Demographics - Congestion - the Only Cause?

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Gun-free zone or Concealed Carry, which do criminals avoid?

Is congestion the sole cause of higher crime rates in different cities across America? Demographics such as crowded cities are obviously important, but are they the only cause of high violent crime? Does a citizen's ability to defend herself against a violent criminal have anything to do with the violent crime rate?

1. Chicago and Houston have Similar Demographics

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With the toughest gun laws in the nation, Chicago saw homicides jump by 15% in a single year. Chicago's murder rate is 15.65 per 100,000 people, compared with 4.5 for the Midwest, and 5.6 for Illinois.

Chicago has a much higher crime rate than Houston . Yet they are very similar in terms of socioeconomic factors such as population, density, and segregation. Chicago, like Houston, is a major center for illegal activities such as the drug trade and human trafficking. Enjoy the comparison...

2. Washington DC Lowers Murder Rate with LESS Gun Control

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Having nothing to do with congestion or demographics, the Washington DC murder rate soared while their very restrictive gun-control act was in force, yet when this law was overturned by the Supreme Court, the crime rate came right back down.

According to JustFacts.com , during the thirty plus years in which the Washington DC handgun ban and trigger lock law was in effect, the D.C. murder rate averaged 73% higher than at the outset of their safe storage law, while the U.S. murder rate averaged 11% lower.

3. Police work is Easier with Empowered Citizens

Some Police Chiefs like to imagine that any and all crime reductions are due solely to their staff and their strategies. While effective policing is of course vital, empowering citizens to defend themselves complements all police strategies nicely. When a violent criminal attacks, a gun empowers a responsible citizen to defend herself until armed police arrive to answer her 911 call.

City of Nelson Police Chief Jim Koury enjoys the increased cooperation the police get in solving crimes from citizens who can protect themselves:

"People normally don't want to get involved in suspicious activity or crimes because they're scared of becoming a victim themselves.

"But [once you're armed and able to protect yourself], you're much more likely to be open and sincere with police officers because you have a means to defend yourself and your family if the bad guys come looking for you."

5. Congested Areas have More Violent Criminals

Demographics affect crime, areas with different population densities usually have different crime rates. Many years ago, a fascinating study showed that rats in congested cages rape female rats and attack others while rats in less congested cages do not. [Although this particular study doesn't seem to be online, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_sink for similar reference.]

While gun sales rise across the US, is congestion the only reason for the Northeast's smaller decrease in crime than the Midwest? Although higher population is clearly part of the explanation, is it the only cause?

No, because other people's firearms also protect you and your family from violent crime. The study by the respected Crime Prevention Research Center showed that: "Murder rates fall as the number of adults carrying concealed handguns increases." Other statistically significant findings include:

"The six states that allow people to carry concealed handguns without a permit have much lower murder and violent crime rates than the six states which try to stop people having concealed handguns."

Violent criminals fear being shot by their victim no matter how congested the area. In the congested Northeast, gun controls give responsible citizens less guns which discourage violent criminals less, whereas citizens in the Midwest have more guns which discourage violent criminals more.

6. How can Violent Predators be stopped?

Crime can be discouraged in various ways. Burglar bars, electronic fences, armed security etc. all help decrease crime. But once you have a violent - predatory - career criminal, what stops him from attacking your citizens? Some of the more effective strategies include:

Regular Police patrols stop him with the fear of being arrested

Police use the cooperation of the public to find the criminal

Courts then stop him by locking him up once proven guilty

Both knowing that the number of guns is increasing as well as encouraging gun ownership motivates him to stop with the fear that his prey is armed and he'll be shot and injured

The law-abiding public understand they can't rely on the police to protect them 24/7, that's why they're buying guns to defend their families in record numbers. And it's working...

7. As gun sales soar, gun crimes plummet - DoJ Survey

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The US Department of Justice survey shows that as gun sales soar, gun crimes plummet . Over the course of 18 years, gun-related homicides dropped 39 percent from 18,253 in 1993 to 11,101 in 2011. Non-fatal firearm crimes decreased even more, a whopping 69 percent during the same period.

The DoJ study also showed that even more guns cause even less crime . "Gun-ownership rates in the South (50%) far exceed gun-ownership rates in the Northeast (22%), yet violent crime is down more in the South than in the Northeast, according to the FBI statistics."

Gun violence is down sharply since Kennesaw encouraged gun ownership in 1982, while all across the USA, gun sales have been soaring. Are gun-control fanatics right? or does the increase in guns owned by law-abiding citizens help decrease gun violence?

The rate of hot burglaries in Great Britain at 59% is around four times the US rate. As respected criminologist Dr. John Lott reports. "If you survey burglars, American burglars spend at least twice as long casing a joint before they break in ... The number one reason they give for taking so much time is: They're afraid of getting shot ."

Kleck concluded there would be an additional 450,000 hot burglaries in the USA if the US rate were similar to the rate in gun-free Britain . He attributes the lower number of hot burglaries in America to widespread gun ownership.

Criminologists James Wright and Peter Rossi studied nearly 2,000 incarcerated felons to find that many violent criminals reported they had been “scared off, shot at, wounded or captured” by a victim armed with a firearm, see the Armed Criminal in America .

10. Comprehensive proof that with More Guns, there's Less Crime

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The vital question - What effect do guns owned by law-abiding citizens have on violent crime? - has been conclusively answered. In his comprehensive research of crime and gun control laws, Dr. John Lott proves the absolute accuracy of his ground-breaking study's title: More Guns, Less Crime.

Encouraging law-abiding citizens to be able to defend themselves until armed police arrive reduces crime all across America. It also ensures there's no problem if they are delayed or don't respond. The risk of being shot by an armed victim demotivates a violent criminal in a congested city just as much as in a rural area.

The evidence shows the Northeast's lack of guns is the main reason for their high violent crime rate - not congestion or demographics. There's overwhelming proof that no matter how congested the area, criminals commit less violent crime when they fear being shot by their victim.

"With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option... You have a duty to protect yourself and your family." – Sheriff David Clarke, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Average deaths in a shooting rampage when stopped by police: 14.3. But average deaths when stopped by civilians: far less - just 2.3.

So discourage violent criminals and terrorists from attacking your people. Encourage your qualified, law-abiding citizens to be able to defend themselves, their family and their property. Both concealed carry as well as the discretionary ordinance are entirely optional - there's no penalty and they're exempt from complying if they object for any reason at all!

Despite media misunderstanding and much misrepresentation, Universal Gun Ownership is not coercive, it's neither Mandatory Gun Ownership nor Compulsory Gun Ownership. It's simply a choice to be prepared to defend themselves and their loved ones from a violent criminal in advance...